From belonging to success: evaluating the influence of sense of belonging to physics on first-year university students’ academic outcomes and the benefits of a holistic support program

Abstract The present study explored the role of first-year physics students’ sense of belonging to physics and how it relates to their learning progression in higher education-level physics. Conducted at Paderborn University, this study examined how students’ sense of belonging to physics influences their academic outcomes in an introductory experimental physics course. Additionally, we investigated how physics students’ engagement in the Physiktreff —a holistic support program for first-year physics students to help them cope with academic and social challenges during their studies—impacts the development of their sense of belonging to physics over time. Our findings indicated that students with a stronger sense of belonging to physics performed better academically. Moreover, students who actively participated in the support program experienced a positive shift in their sense of belonging to physics. However, our findings also revealed that physics students with a higher initial sense of belonging to physics tended to experience a decline in their sense of belonging to physics during their first semester. These results underscore the importance of fostering a sense of belonging to physics within higher education, particularly during the introductory phase of students’ studies.